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| Fellow Americans, there are better sauces of outrage than Szechuan | Fellow Americans, there are better sauces of outrage than Szechuan |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| I did not come of age in an era of activism. During my four years at college, I can remember only two campus-wide protests that gained any sort of traction. One was to remove – or protect, depending on which side you were on – a piece of modern sculpture which had been erected along a windswept walkway. The other was to restore a particular brand of cereal (Cap’n Crunch, since you ask) to its former availability in all dining halls at all mealtimes, and not just breakfast. | I did not come of age in an era of activism. During my four years at college, I can remember only two campus-wide protests that gained any sort of traction. One was to remove – or protect, depending on which side you were on – a piece of modern sculpture which had been erected along a windswept walkway. The other was to restore a particular brand of cereal (Cap’n Crunch, since you ask) to its former availability in all dining halls at all mealtimes, and not just breakfast. |
| I don’t want to give the impression that we were completely unaware of larger political struggles or bigger injustices in the world; it’s just that they were trying to take away our Cap’n Crunch. | I don’t want to give the impression that we were completely unaware of larger political struggles or bigger injustices in the world; it’s just that they were trying to take away our Cap’n Crunch. |
| I did wonder if 500 million coins isn’t enough to liberate every shopping trolley in Britain | I did wonder if 500 million coins isn’t enough to liberate every shopping trolley in Britain |
| I was reminded of those sorry times as impromptu protests erupted at McDonald’s franchises across America, in response to a lack of Szechuan McNugget dipping sauce. The Szechuan sauce was originally introduced as a promotional tie-in with the 1998 Disney film Mulan, and then quickly discontinued. But after it recently figured in the plot of the animated sci-fi sitcom Rick and Morty, online petitions for its return were launched. Sensing a marketing opportunity, McDonalds released a limited amount of the sauce in selected outlets. | I was reminded of those sorry times as impromptu protests erupted at McDonald’s franchises across America, in response to a lack of Szechuan McNugget dipping sauce. The Szechuan sauce was originally introduced as a promotional tie-in with the 1998 Disney film Mulan, and then quickly discontinued. But after it recently figured in the plot of the animated sci-fi sitcom Rick and Morty, online petitions for its return were launched. Sensing a marketing opportunity, McDonalds released a limited amount of the sauce in selected outlets. |
| Unfortunately, “limited” turned out to mean extremely limited, and McDonald’s had not reckoned with the determined entitlement of Rick and Morty fans. At one LA franchise, 300 people turned up to fight over 20 packets of sauce. They forced their way into the restaurant chanting: “When I say Szechuan, you say sauce!” The police had to be called. In Newark, New Jersey, disgruntled customers held up makeshift signs that said “#GiveUsTheSauce”. | Unfortunately, “limited” turned out to mean extremely limited, and McDonald’s had not reckoned with the determined entitlement of Rick and Morty fans. At one LA franchise, 300 people turned up to fight over 20 packets of sauce. They forced their way into the restaurant chanting: “When I say Szechuan, you say sauce!” The police had to be called. In Newark, New Jersey, disgruntled customers held up makeshift signs that said “#GiveUsTheSauce”. |
| It’s heartening to see that the young people of America are still familiar with the mechanisms of protest, if not the actual point of it. On the same weekend that the vice president stormed out of a football game because black NFL players were protesting over racial injustice by taking a knee during the national anthem, it seems a little stupid, not to say offensive, to confuse behaving like a jerk at McDonald’s with some kind of cause. Let’s hope Rick and Morty fans can find some more suitable source of outrage. You’d definitely want them on your side. | It’s heartening to see that the young people of America are still familiar with the mechanisms of protest, if not the actual point of it. On the same weekend that the vice president stormed out of a football game because black NFL players were protesting over racial injustice by taking a knee during the national anthem, it seems a little stupid, not to say offensive, to confuse behaving like a jerk at McDonald’s with some kind of cause. Let’s hope Rick and Morty fans can find some more suitable source of outrage. You’d definitely want them on your side. |
| It’s a bong story | It’s a bong story |
| That’s not to say a dopey, virtually meaningless protest cannot be harnessed to serve nobler principles. The Szechuan sauce riots put me in mind of the case of Morse v Frederick, which was argued before the US supreme court 10 years ago and is more colloquially known as the Bong Hits 4 Jesus case. | That’s not to say a dopey, virtually meaningless protest cannot be harnessed to serve nobler principles. The Szechuan sauce riots put me in mind of the case of Morse v Frederick, which was argued before the US supreme court 10 years ago and is more colloquially known as the Bong Hits 4 Jesus case. |
| The facts are these: in 2002, Joseph Frederick stood across the street from his high school as the Olympic torch relay passed through Juneau, Alaska. As the torch approached, he unfurled a banner that read: “Bong hits 4 Jesus”. This was confiscated and he was suspended for 10 days. | The facts are these: in 2002, Joseph Frederick stood across the street from his high school as the Olympic torch relay passed through Juneau, Alaska. As the torch approached, he unfurled a banner that read: “Bong hits 4 Jesus”. This was confiscated and he was suspended for 10 days. |
| Frederick sued, on the grounds that his free speech rights had been violated, and, while the lower court dismissed his suit, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that decision. Unfortunately for Frederick, the supreme court went the other way. But an important – if perhaps not entirely wise – precedent for student free speech was established, and the original BONG HiTS 4 JESUS banner now hangs in Washington DC’s Newseum. | Frederick sued, on the grounds that his free speech rights had been violated, and, while the lower court dismissed his suit, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that decision. Unfortunately for Frederick, the supreme court went the other way. But an important – if perhaps not entirely wise – precedent for student free speech was established, and the original BONG HiTS 4 JESUS banner now hangs in Washington DC’s Newseum. |
| Quid go blow | Quid go blow |
| The UK economy is expecting a boost this weekend as people rush to spend their old pound coins before they cease to be legal tender, at midnight on Sunday. There are an estimated 500m out there, although one in 30 of those is said to be counterfeit. My current stock of old pounds is hovering around zero - there might be one in the car; I’d have to checkI did wonder if 500m coins isn’t enough to liberate every shopping trolley in Britain. I’m not sure what the point of this protest would be, but let’s not worry about the why. The why comes later. | The UK economy is expecting a boost this weekend as people rush to spend their old pound coins before they cease to be legal tender, at midnight on Sunday. There are an estimated 500m out there, although one in 30 of those is said to be counterfeit. My current stock of old pounds is hovering around zero - there might be one in the car; I’d have to checkI did wonder if 500m coins isn’t enough to liberate every shopping trolley in Britain. I’m not sure what the point of this protest would be, but let’s not worry about the why. The why comes later. |
| • Tim Dowling is a Guardian columnist | • Tim Dowling is a Guardian columnist |
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